TAKING THE KIDS TO PROVENCE: WAXING NOSTALGIA AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A MEMORABLE FAMILY VACATION

Posted on May 20, 2013January 23, 2016 by Susan Manfull

I offer my thoughts about taking the kids to the Luberon area of Provence, where we have many years of vacation-with-kids experience, but I do so with the caveat that what worked for us—a family of three with many child guests--may not match the temperament and spirit of your family. Chart your own course—and let us know about your adventures. It’s nearing that time of year again: the annual family vacation. For us, summers have long been associated with packing up the family and heading to Pro...

YES, VIRGINIA, THERE ARE THIEVES IN PROVENCE

Posted on March 24, 2013January 23, 2016 by Susan Manfull

Yesterday I gave a talk to the International Women’s Club of New England. The subject was the Lubéron—not surprising, eh?—but what was surprising was which slide generated some of the most lively conversation, especially after the talk. This is a very sophisticated group of women (and yesterday there were two men in the audience) who have traveled widely and frequently. They are a savvy bunch. Many are from European countries, including France. And, yet, the thought that a paradise such as the ...

LE CHÂTEAU DE LOURMARIN TO HOST RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL IN APRIL

Posted on March 17, 2013January 3, 2016 by Susan Manfull

As we roll in to our favorite village in Provence, I always feel good when I see Lourmarin's charming profile--the one that graces the masthead of The Modern Trobadors--and I know that when we round a few more corners, we will see its majestic château. This (mainly) Renaissance château, the first of this period in Provence, sits atop a hill, dominating the western view of the village, as it has--more or less--for at least 600 years. Today, this majestic building draws visitors from around...

LOOKING FOR WINE IN THE LUBERON

Posted on February 4, 2013January 3, 2016 by Susan Manfull

What is the Lubéron? It is a range of mountains called the Grand and the Petit Luberon divided by a valley called the Combe de Lourmarin; a regional park called Parc naturel régional du Luberon; a cultural region that has long drawn an eclectic mix of writers, hikers, and well-heeled Parisians; and, as of 1988, an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC), meaning its wines achieved a high enough level of quality to merit their inclusion in the government system that protects the integrity of French...

RACLETTE: THE BEST MEAL YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF

Posted on January 20, 2013December 30, 2015 by Susan Manfull

It is 12 degrees outside as I write this post. The wind is howling and the ground is covered with several inches of snow. Portsmouth, New Hampshire is not in the Alps, the place from which this Swiss dish hails, but the blustery weather makes me long for a roaring fire and one of Switzerland’s storied and traditional meals. Hint: it has a French name. Not fondue...the other Swiss meal with the French name—raclette. In the United States, nearly everyone is familiar with cheese fondue, but v...

BONNE ANNÉE, MES AMIS! QUELLES SONT VOS RÉSOLUTIONS POUR LA NOUVELLE ANNÉE?

Posted on January 2, 2013January 3, 2016 by Susan Manfull

It doesn’t matter where you were when 2012 rolled into 2013 or how you welcomed the New Year--quietly or with great fanfare—if you are lucky enough to be alive as another year begins, embrace it. It is a gift. I prefer a quiet New Year’s Eve. Even a little solitude. It gives me a chance to reflect on the past year and plan for another. What worked well? What do I wish I had done differently? How shall I approach the New Year to make the most of it? Inevitably, I put pen to paper and record...

FALL ALWAYS EVOKES THE START OF SOMETHING NEW: FROM TEXT BOOKS TO TOUR BOOKS

Posted on September 24, 2012January 3, 2016 by Susan Manfull

Family and friends be forewarned: I am planning a big rendezvous in Provence Fall, for me, always marks the beginning of a new year in an evocative way that January never has. I suppose I never outgrew that heady feeling I got as I set my binders, lined paper, and new pens and pencils next to the door and eagerly anticipated the first day of school. In college, the stack got taller with all the new books for classes, instilling an even greater sense of possibility. (Maybe that’s the reason...

LOURMARIN’S JACQUELINE BRICARD TO HOST “LE BINÔME,” AN ENCHANTING EXHIBIT OF NAΪF ART THAT COMBINES PAINTING WITH PHOTOGRAPHY

Posted on September 16, 2012April 22, 2017 by Susan Manfull

If you have not yet received your invitation to the wedding of the year—Brad and Angelina, of course, who are rumored to be tying the knot in their French country home, Château Miraval, near Brignoles—and you still plan to be in Provence in September, drop by Jacqueline Bricard’s La Galerie d’Art Naïf in Lourmarin. On September 22—this date is for sure—Madame Bricard will open her gallery and welcome naïf painter Alain Donnat and photographer Yann Werdefroy who have teamed up to prod...

PÉTANQUE GOES WELL WITH PASTIS

Posted on July 29, 2012December 30, 2015 by Susan Manfull

A glass of Pastis next to a scoring tool for pétanqueWe played pétanque, drank pastis, and spoke a little French last weekend. The only sign that we were in Portsmouth, New Hampshire was the Norwegian Maple tree—a poor substitute for the stately Plane tree that is rarely far from any game of pétanque in Provence—but, it didn’t matter. Palm trees could have framed the terrain where the games took place. All eyes were on the players and their boules….well, unless they were on the pastis. C’...

LAVENDER FIELDS FOREVER? NOT IF THE CICADELLE HAS ITS WAY

Posted on July 23, 2012December 29, 2015 by Susan Manfull

At the height of lavender season in Provence—the largest lavender- producing region in the world—the industry is worried. The iconic flower is in trouble and the culprit is the cicadelle, a tiny insect with a voracious appetite. Production has plummeted in the last decade, dropping to as little as one third of what it was in 2000. Although lavender grows wild in many areas of the world and is cultivated in many countries (notably England, Spain, Bulgaria and the three west coast states of the U...